Naruto 1. The tutelage

_**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto; I wished I did, though, so that the second part did not fall a victim of the series' own success._

* * *

_His quill trembles, and finally escapes from the grasp of his fingers leaving ink marks on the valuable scroll. Another fine piece of paper ruined for something that seems to him as lost time. He wonders if he can finally get to write this story or if every page of it is going to be the denied testimony of a sweet bitterness he had assumed to be dead for a long time. He thinks that he has been cured from the hatred he felt, but as the quill touches the paper once more, the injuries of the boy he used to be are bleeding. Every time he writes one of the well drawn letters, tears swell up in his cerulean eyes. _

_Tsunade and Jiraya showed such enthusiasm every time they had a discussion about the story of the Fire Country, so he thought it was worth trying to do it himself. He believed that the mental exercise would take his thoughts of the pain and would make time pass. But for every historical event he remembers, one of his own shades of loneliness and loss wakes. He's afraid he should discard the project, or else he will have to give in and reconsider everything that has shaped him up in all this time. So he tries again and again, but he realizes with a sad smile that he used to enclose only for his precious people that he writes more about himself than the land, like he is supposed to. He does not even know whom he is writing for. His life has been a web of secrets; secrets that he will never be safe to share. Must he print his memories on paper, hoping that an ever consuming fire will jump forth and envelop him? _

_Maybe he should. At least, it does sound like a good idea._

_His memories began with a bright flash. Before that, there is nothingness, a black cloud of absolute mystery that he can never surpass. He cannot surpass that cloud but with only one exception. _

_Everything starts with someone calling his name. Someone whose voice he cannot quite place. Someone who is important, but for the life of him, he cannot seem to care. All he does is stir around in a comfortable embrace and keep his sensitive eyes closed. "Naruto…" That last chant of his name is accompanied by a short cough and a gurgle, then the sound of spitting. "Naruto; I do hope you will be able to remember me, young man. Or, even if you don't, I hope you'll be able to look upon my remnants with pride… For I sure will not. What I am about to do is unforgivable, Naruto. Please forgive me for what I am about to do."_

_And then everything stops in another bright flash, and the life he remembers clearly and with no interruption begins with him waking up on his old bed, in his shitty apartment. He sniffs at the fond memory, wishing that the only persons who knew the answer to who this person was had told him before the Death God had taken them away. Wiping his eyes with the back of his palm, figuring that if she saw him she would taunt him for a rather long time, he leans back on the wooden chair and reminisces of the old times, the ones he thought as the best of his life. _

* * *

The blonde seven year old shifted in his sleep, something disturbing the peaceful slumber he had got in. Disregarding the interruption, he continued sleeping, but the damn thing continued bugging him, pulling him out of the ever calm dreams he was seeing and back to reality, enough to make him realize the source of the disturbance; it seemed that the broken window he had promised himself to fix had finally betrayed him, allowing the cold breeze to whistle right on his back. With a tired yawn, the boy shivered wide awake. "Damn…" he mumbled with his face dug in the pillow, before jumping off the bed similarly to leaping off a springboard. 

As he landed, the first thing he did was grin to the mirror opposite of his bed, admiring himself. "That's right, Uzumaki Naruto's wide awake!" he yelled loudly as he stretched his back. The howling from the apartment downstairs were priceless to the blonde's ears; "Shut up! People's trying to sleep, you beast!" Naruto chuckled at being the reason for the commotion; after all, if he had to wake up early, why should not others do the same?

He skipped to his wardrobe, where he switched to his favorite attire; a mostly orange jumpsuit he possessed ever since he could remember, and a black t-shirt underneath that. The jumpsuit was sort of silly, really, with the white collar, the blue shoulder pads, and the fact that it was too large for him and he had to curl the sleeves and pants in order to fit in. He shrugged to himself at the ridicule the suit was; he liked the damn thing, and he was going to wear it. If others disliked it, they could just not look at him. It was not as if that was possible, with all the attention he drew, but he decided to leave that out for other things, more important, like the squelching of the beast that was his appetite.

After creating a vast breakfast mostly consisting of ramen, his favorite food, and consuming it, young Naruto decided that he should get off for the academy; they had got started just a few days ago, and it seemed to be going well, if you excluded some of the looks the other students were giving him. He wondered briefly as to why, and he blamed the jumpsuit; most people seemed to dislike orange, after all. The blonde grunted. It was not as if he could afford anything more expensive than his black t-shirts that he got from the blind lady at the corner anyway. Giving the mirror one last look, Naruto saw that his hair was disheveled. Grinning at his mirror image, he reached for the blonde mane and messed it even more, if possible.

"Perfect!" Naruto exclaimed, and he was off. He went down the stairs, exited through the front door, and then off he was, an orange blur in the busy streets of his home village, Konoha.

The way to the _shinobi_ Academy was a simple one, and Naruto was able to cover it before well. The first year of the academy… Naruto could not wait to attend the _chakra _lessons; if he did well, he could do all the flashy things he had seen Iruka, his _sensei_, demonstrating at the first day, like appearing and disappearing in thin air, as well as walking on vertical surfaces, as well as more techniques.

Naruto grinned; today nothing could go wrong.

It seemed, however, that he would be proven wrong, as _everything_ did go wrong; the simple _chakra_ molding exercise Iruka-sensei had taught class was just not possible to him. On top of that, that snob, Sasuke, seemed to nail it down along with a cute pink haired girl in seconds. As if it that was not enough, he was the only one in class not to be able to do it. And, finally, Iruka-sensei had a smug look on his face, and all he said was that he would get it sometime, before going on with the lesson. It sucked, was all Naruto had thought. He had wanted to be able to mold _chakra_ as well as everybody else, if not better. It was unfair.

So noon found himself dragging his feet back home, defeated. He ignored the looks of unease and even hatred the various villagers gave him. He had got the hang of it by now, and was able to shrug it off; at least, externally. The blonde boy wished that, just for once, someone _besides_ the Hokage would recognize him as someone precious to them.

He glared at the sky and wondered what it was that made people look at him that way. Finally, he sighed and decided to let it skip. Ever since he could remember, it was just like that; the villagers giving him dirty looks and shushing each other from continuing their conversations when they approached, as if they were afraid that he was going to… do _something_ to the words they said or thought.

It was really weird, if not nerve wracking.

Once again, he started in a slow pace back home, but came to a halt in front of the one man that he liked and considered as… family, was the right word.

"Old man?" He questioned, somewhat dazed, and Sarutobi blew the smoke of his trademarked pipe and smiled genuinely at him.

"Greetings, Naruto-kun." Sarutobi was a short man at his late sixties, clad in robes and wearing the customary Hokage hat, a foreign looking red flat one that seemed to never leave his head. His face sported wrinkles, wrinkles that seemed to fade away whenever he was smiling. His face was engraved on the Hokage monument, a tribute to the four men who had served the village of hidden leaves like no other.

Next to the Third Hokage sat a man oblivious to everyone and everything around him. Naruto could swear he had seen him somewhere before, but could not place where exactly, or why he had that feeling. He was tall, far taller than most people Naruto had seen in Konoha, sported silver hair, and was clearly a highly experienced _shinobi_ judging on his attire alone; a jounin vest, which bared the insignia of Konoha. He wore his forehead protector, also with the afore-mentioned insignia, albeit crooked so that it covered his left eye, and had the customary equipment pouch tied up on his waist. The only thing that seemed so out of place was a small orange book he was reading, one that had a man chasing a woman on the cover, and whose title read: "Come come Paradise".

Naruto frowned at the man. Showing interest in the fairer sex was something one did in his private sanctum, not in the middle of the street. Seeing the blonde boy dislike his partner, Sarutobi cleared his throat, turning the attention to him, and decided to speak. "See, Kakashi? It is like I told you. The opportunity presents itself and someone grasps it; someone who usually is young or someone lead by energy or youth. The Hokage's rank is not allowed to ignore such opportunities or leave them at the hands of others." The small speech was agreed by the silver haired man, this 'Kakashi', who only nodded, lost in the pages of the orange book.

Thankfully, the road was empty of traffic; the Hokage and one of the most esteemed _shinobi_ of the village standing around the street meant that people could not just go ahead and approach. Sarutobi approached Naruto while he spoke, while Kakashi barely tossed a glance at the boy. "Look at him." Sarutobi said. "What will become of him?"

Kakashi only shrugged from his place, a movement seemingly lost by the Hokage, before realizing that the older man waited for an answer. So, he closed the book, placed it securely in an inside pocket of his vest, and spoke. "Him? Well, he is the village's black sheep, no? He is a slowly learning and achieving ninja, right?"

"Fool," the Hokage was smiling, but his eyes showed a unique look of authority and iron will. "Weren't you paying attention, Kakashi? Were you so lost in that smut you are constantly reading? I did not ask you 'Who is he', but 'What will become of him?' He is here, young, strong, and witty. He has the same potential that you have, even if he got the bad start of the deal. So, I ask you; what will become of him?"

Kakashi shrugged his shoulders once more. "Dunno." Was all he said.

Naruto was lost. Dazed as he already was, having the Hokage himself speak highly of the blonde boy was enough to make him keep silent. "What will become of him? Will he become a tool? A weapon? A comrade? An enemy? Or will he continue as he is now, roaming, for someone else to use him and turn him against us?"

Kakashi looked around the street, made sure that no one else was there, and turned his now confused look on Naruto. "Uzumaki? But he is just a child."

Sarutobi sighed in defeat. Sometimes, Kakashi was just _too_ narrow sighted. "He is just a child _now_, Kakashi. When you will look at him again, it will be too late; he will be a teenager, or worse, a man. But use him now, and shape him and in ten years you will see his loyalty. Instead of a confused, bitter shinobi that someone can convince into starting a _coup d'etat, _you will have a loyal ally, standing united by bonds in both spirit and blood. Right now, Kakashi, Naruto is something unique. Give him a message and a _chuunin_ vest and you will have a diplomat that no one will dare send away or assault. You can send him with security where you cannot send a council member. Just imagine how useful he can be. Hostage situations. Betrothals. Subtle operations. The knife's diplomacy."

Kakashi's one visible eye widened at the last words. For a moment, the three males breathed in silence watching each other. When Kakashi finally spoke, his voice sounded as if something dry was stuck in his throat. "You're speaking of these things in front of the boy, though. Using him as a weapon, as a tool. With all due respect, Hokage-sama, don't you think he will not remember these words of yours as he grows up?"

Sarutobi laughed loudly and his laughter echoed at the empty street, reminding them of the emptiness. "Remember? Of course he will remember, Kakashi. I am counting on it. Look at his eyes. They are hiding their owner's actual intelligence. The most possible of all scenarios is for him to turn out to surpass you. I would _have_ to be insane in order to lie to Naruto-kun. And I would be working on pure stupidity if I started his training without an explanation. Something like that will forge his mind ready for anyone who wished to add or alter a few ideas. Isn't that right, Naruto-kun?"

Sarutobi observed Naruto steadily as he spoke and the blonde realized that he was returning the look. As the Hokage spoke, none of the two took his eyes away. In the eyes of the elder man, who Naruto regarded as family, the blonde could sense some sort of honesty. It was not comforting, but he realized that he could always count on it. Slowly, Naruto nodded in agreement.

"Come here, then."

Naruto walked towards Sarutobi. When he approached closer, Sarutobi kneeled on his leg, in order to look at the blonde's eyes better. Kakashi continued sitting at the bench he occupied, staring at their faces. At that moment, Naruto realized the irony of the Hokage kneeling in front of the seemingly unimportant academy student. So he was serious as the elder bit his thumb hard enough to bleed and then touched it at his forehead. "You are now one of my men, Naruto-kun' he said, and the honor he gave Naruto was more important than anything else that would come between them. "You don't have to yield to anyone. I will take care of you and do it well. If a man or woman ever tries to turn you against me, just come to me saying what he offered you and I will double it. You will never find me tightfisted, and I will make certain you will never be able to call mistreatment as a reason to betray me. Do you believe in me, Naruto?"

"Yes… Hokage-sama."

Sarutobi smiled at the title; it was the first time the blonde boy called him by his title. "Good. I will give out certain orders concerning you. Be sure that you follow them. If anything seems strange to you, talk to Kakashi or me. Just come to my office and say that you want to see me. They will let you through."

Naruto sensed something coming through Sarutobi's bleeding finger and into him, something he recognized as _chakra._ Kakashi's visible eye widened as he realized that Sarutobi was using an old ritual of sorts used to bond two persons together.

When Sarutobi pulled his thumb off Naruto, there was no blood to be seen anywhere. Not on the blonde's forehead, not on the Hokage's bitten finger, not even a single drop on the ground.

Naruto nodded. "I will do that, Hokage-sama," he said, and he recognized a certain sadness on Sarutobi's face.

"Good, then." Was all the Hokage said as he stood up. As he turned to walk away, he turned to Kakashi. "You don't approve of this, do you?" The tone of his voice left no possibilities for a conversation.

"You are the Hokage, Hokage-sama. You can do as you wish."

A smirk found itself creeping on the elder's face. "That's not what I asked, Kakashi."

"If that's the case… No, Hokage-sama. I do not agree, and I doubt anyone else, like the council will approve as well." There was a childish look on Kakashi's face, but Sarutobi kept his smirk intact.

The Hokage shook his head. "But no one else needs to know, right Kakashi?" He asked, and Kakashi stood from the bench at the implied order. "Of course not, Hokage-sama."

"The council has not agreed with me in many years, Kakashi." Said the Hokage, quiet enough for the untrained ear, but loud enough for Naruto to listen at. "I rarely pay attention to their rumblings, and you should not do that as well. But now, let us leave, eh? I have paperwork to do, and you have a mission." He turned to Naruto. "And you, Naruto-kun… It's getting dark. Here, an all-you-can-eat ticket for the Ichiraku Ramen shop. Take care, ok?"

In the mention of ramen, Naruto's stomach growled loudly. "Yeah! Of course!" He exclaimed as he grabbed the ticket from the Hokage's extended arm, and he left running, with Sarutobi yelling at him to send his regards to Teuchi and Ayame.

"Hokage-sama... I still don't think this is a good idea." Kakashi tried to reason with the elder once more, but Sarutobi stopped him with a gesture of his hand.

"I don't like it either, Kakashi. But he still is a _jinchuuriki_, whether we like it or not. These are dark times, and we have to exploit every advantage we have." With those words spoken, the Hokage dissappeared into a swirl of leaves appearing from apparently nowhere, a perfect execution of the _Shunshin_ technique.

Kakashi shook his head. There were truths in his words, hidden beneath the underneath; Kakashi was a specialist in that; yet, he feared. He feared that, should Naruto get out of hand, they would all be doomed. With nothing better to do, Kakashi reached for the book hidden in his vest, revealed it, and walked away.

* * *

A few days passed, with the lessons in the academy continuing to go from bad to worse. Sure, he did get a larger allowance every week, and he ate a lot at Ichiraku's, as well as trained at home, but that did not really mean that everything was good and well. For starters, it seemed to him that Iruka-sensei just was not trying to teach him. While he would stand by Naruto, all the man would do was yelling and bonking him in the side of the head. And, as the casual observer would notice, it made it impossible for young Naruto to perform his _chakra _exercises at ease. He said of Iruka's training at the Hokage, and the Hokage had excused him out, saying that he had quite the plan, and that Naruto had nothing to worry about. 

So, one night, Naruto woke up due to the cold wind blowing on his back. Damn that time of the year. Damn the broken window. He shifted, wondering if he should maybe talk to a grown up in order to get the window fixed, but his line of thoughts was disturbed when he noticed an unfamiliar figure sitting on a chair, not more than fifteen feet away from him.

She was sitting with her legs crossed, her arms resting on her lap. It was not the fact that a completely unknown figure was in his house that Naruto found strange, however, since something else had drawn his attention even more than the presence herself; the woman herself was strange. Her clothes were a shade of blue dark enough to pass as black, and she wore many leather garments on her, possibly for the protection of her delicate body. Her hair was dark and long, well past beyond her shoulder blades. Naruto, in all his life, had seen many unique things, but never before had he seen such a unique eye color. It was that of a unique mixture of beige and ivory, reminding him of a cloth washed a hundred times too many. Her eyes sported a glint seen only in the eyes of a cat hunting; they had the same amount of joy and ferocity. She was examining Naruto with a smirk pasted on her full lips.

What Naruto did in response was to back off hastily, banging on the wall in the process. "You're awake," she greeted. "Good. Get up and follow me." She stood and walked off the room, towards the other rooms in the house. The blonde did not move. She turned to look at him in the darkness of the bedroom. "Hurry up, boy." She said impatiently and knocked hard on the door's casing.

Naruto got up with a grunt, as his naked feet touched the cold floor. He grabbed his orange jacket and made a move to don it on, but she did not wait for him. She only looked behind her to see what was holding the blonde boy back once and just one glare with those unearthly eyes of hers were enough to make Naruto toss the jacket aside and shudder.

Naruto followed her as he was, with no words spoken, unable to explain why he hadn't berated the hell out of her yet. Just because she had told him to follow her? He could not explain why he was doing this, but he decided to let it drop. He followed the strange woman to the living room, which was lit only by a small lamp standing on the table. The room was simply decorated, sporting one old couch and a tea table; no other ornaments or anything similar. To a stranger seeing the room, it could not be occupied; it was really awful living in such an empty space. The living room shared half the space that it used with Naruto's kitchen, which had an equally old refrigerator and the basics for cooking.

"This place is horrid," commented the woman. "No, it's worse than horrid. It's a long dead abomination, which needs to be burned to the ground." Somehow, Naruto nodded along her comments, his subconscious understanding what she meant and agreeing. "But beggars cannot be choosers, can they? I guess not. Everything will be soon fixed. But introductions first. I suppose it is a bit chilly walking around just like that, with the t-shirt. Come here, boy."

The boy followed her to the comfy place of the room. She sat on the couch, crossing her legs with a slow move and gestured for Naruto to accompany her. Naruto's bare arms and legs gratefully sunk in the old couch, as he stood there, watching her unique eyes explore his reactions. For a few minutes silence was spread over the room. Finally, she spoke, changing the boy's life forever.

"For starters, let me introduce you to yourself. Your lineage is quite obvious, and you will soon come to realize it as you grow up. Sarutobi, or Gramps, as you like to call him, has recognized it, but I don't think the rest of Konoha will do the same, not anytime soon. Not all the proof of the world could persuade those thick-headed commoners into believing something like that." She stopped for a moment and smiled, as if amused by an unheard joke. "It is a shame your teachers refuse to teach you properly, you know. I bet that if they were actually trying, though, they would find you capable enough. But we have no time to worry for something that is not going to be done anytime soon." She sighed, lost in her own words for a second, before continuing; "Sarutobi, with his verbose lectures and pompous stories has taught you how to work hard and the basic principles of this rotten society. Two things that shine within him as well. You must not forget these two basic rules, as well as what I am about to tell you now, boy."

Naruto nodded, silently wondering who she was and what she wanted with him. "You are neither strong, nor fast or intelligent. Don't believe you are. What you are, though, is stubborn enough to exhaust someone far more capable than you. And that is more dangerous to you than your opponent. But that is not important. What _is_ important is that you are training to be a Konoha _shinobi_ and thus, a soldier for Sarutobi, or the current Hokage, for any matter. He is feeding you, he is dressing you," at that, the woman glared at Naruto's jumpsuit, "and now he has taken care of your education. All that he requests – for now – is your loyalty to Konoha. He will ask for your service later in your life. These are the terms you'll have to follow for me to teach you. You will have to be a soldier for Konoha and totally dedicated to the village. Because if you are not, it is incredibly dangerous to be taught my art." She stopped and, for a minute that seemed like a century to Naruto, they stared at each other.

"Do you agree?" She asked, but it was not a question; it was the sealing of a deal.

"I agree," Naruto responded, entranced, and as she waited he added: "I give you my word."

"Good." The word sounded almost cheery as she said it. "Now, onward to other things. Have you ever seen me before?" Naruto shook his head in a negative way. For a moment, the blonde boy realized how strange she _really _was. Because, despite foreigners coming and going, Naruto always remembered a face he had seen. At least, so he thought. He knew almost all of the people in Konoha, if not by name, then by looks.

"Do you know who I am, boy, or why I am here?" Naruto responded negatively in both questions.

"Well," she said with a grin, "no one else does, so make certain it stays that way. Get this straight – you will speak to nobody as to what we are doing here or what you are learning. Do you understand?"

Naruto's positive nod must have been satisfying, because she seemed to relax in her spot of the couch. Her delicate fingers squeezed her knees in excitement, and the leather gloves she wore creaked under the pressure she applied on them. "Good, good. Now. You can call me Kasumi. And how should I call you?" She waited for Naruto to answer, but when he remained silent, she went on. "Boy. These are not names suited for us, but they will fulfill their purpose for the time we are going to spend together. So. I am Kasumi and I am another teacher, found for you by Sarutobi. It took him a little while to remember that that I was still around and even more for him to find the courage in order to summon me. But what's done is done, right?"

Naruto nodded, and for the second time in her presence, he spoke again. "Excuse me, Kasumi-san… But what are you planning to teach me?"

She turned her body so that she looked at him easier, bringing one of her long legs on the couch before hugging it with her arms. "What am I planning to teach you, eh?" she asked back, before looking at the ceiling, consumed by thoughts.

"No matter what you call it, it is murder. Killing people. The delicate art of correct assassination. To disable someone's sight or hearing or to leave him paralyzed. Or to grant him a permanent cough or sterility, or premature aging or madness. Or even…" She shook her head as she lowered her sight back at Naruto's. "The details are not really important. All the above and even more were part of my job, and will be part of yours, if you agree to it. Only know from the start that I am teaching you how to kill people for your village and your orders. Not with the flashy way they are teaching you in an academy, yelling the names of your techniques; not in the middle of the battlefield, where others will watch you and applaud. Oh no, I will teach you the ghastly, devious, noble ways of killing. Whether you like it or not. Your taste or beliefs are not my responsibility."

She grinned widely, revealing two lines of perfect teeth, and Naruto could not help but shudder. "But I'll make certain you are taught the way. I will also make one thing certain, because that is the deal I made with the Hokage; that you will learn what you are taught, like I never did when I was your age. I will teach you to be an assassin. Do you agree, boy?"

Naruto's mind was filled with grotesque images of himself lurking in the night, jumping people and disabling them permanently. Of him climbing walls and knowing countless deadly assassination techniques. Slowly, unsurely, he nodded again, without knowing what else there was to do. Kasumi looked at him inquisitional. "You can talk, can't you? You're not both a mute and without taste, are you?"

Something snapped in the blonde, and he turned into his good, old self. "Of course I can!"

"Then speak. Don't just nod along. Tell me your opinion for all of this. For whom I am and what I just offered you."

Despite being prompted to speak ahead, Naruto sat silent. He looked at her full, smiling with anticipation lips and her delicate fingers, and he felt her shiny, pale eyes on him. His tongue moved in his mouth, but there was no sound. Her way demanded words, but her eyes continued to be the most terrifying thing the blonde boy had ever seen.

"Boy," she said, and the kindness in her voice surprised Naruto enough to look at the afore-mentioned eyes. "I can teach you even if you turn up hating me or you are disgusted by the lessons. I can teach you even if you are bored or you turn up to be lazy or even stupid. But I can't teach you if you're afraid to talk to me. At least not like how I want to teach you. Nor can I teach you if you decide you would rather not to learn anything. But you have to let me know. If there is one thing you have learned, is to voice your thoughts, but not your real ones; rather, the ones that others seem to prefer to listen to. Thus, you are almost afraid to let your own self know what you are thinking. Try voicing your real thoughts, boy. Let me know what you are thinking. You won't be punished, no matter what you are thinking, believe me."

"I don't like it much, to be honest." Naruto said all of a sudden. "The idea of myself killing people."

"Ah." She went silent, her face obscured by the dim lightning in the room. "I didn't like it either, when there was a time I had to do it. I don't like it now either." She sighed suddenly, a deep exhaling that had the scent of alcohol. Most probably sake. "When the time to kill comes, it will be your decision. The first time is the most difficult one. But you should know that such a choice is still many years ahead of us." She hesitated. "There is something you should know, boy. And you should remember it at all times, not just for now. To learn is never bad. Even learning how to kill is not bad. After all, that is what you will do once you become genin, even though it won't be until later on your career that you will take someone's life. Learning to kill is not good either. It's just another thing you will get in your head sooner or later, and it's something I can teach you. That's it."

She smiled genuinely. "For now, do you believe you could learn how to do it and decide if you actually will do it later?"

A tough question for a seven year old boy driven on curiosity and the excitement of what to do next, of the adventure. Something trembled inside Naruto, something that detested the idea, but Naruto was but a little boy and he did not have any objection to it. Besides, who knew? It could be thrilling. "I can learn." He finally said, and her smile turned into a grin.

"Good." She said, but her face seemed tired all of a sudden and she did not seem as excited as Naruto was. "That will be enough, then. We could start even now, and but fixing this damned place seems more appealing to me." Naruto grinned. It seemed that the need for turning something hallow and turning it into something beautiful was something genuine in all women, assassins or not.

The following hours went by with Naruto sweeping, then mopping the floor while Kasumi was off, purchasing various ornaments and _shinobi_ tools for Naruto. She returned with a bag full with posters and picture casings and another filled with clothes. "Something more fitting; you should learn to dress in darker colors, boy." She had explained herself.

A hefty amount of food, mostly vegetables and cans of meat made it's appearance soon after that, and Naruto's protests of disliking both vegetables and meat were squelched by Kasumi's simple comment of "You'll remain short all your life if you don't eat healthy, kid. Consuming ramen might be good for your tastebuds, but not good for your growth. Detain your feats to say; once or twice a week and you'll be the tallest in your class."

Naruto's pout had no effect on Kasumi, so he was forced to surrender to his fate. He did not tell the assassin this, but he enjoyed the thought of himself posing as a giant and Sasuke running away from him in order to avoid being stomped.

At some point the two of them, the assassin and the would-be _shinobi_ stopped to grab a bite. Kasumi even poured sake in Naruto's bottle, warning him that it would taste bidder if he was not happy with himself, but sweet if he was. Indeed, Naruto found it too sweet for his tastes, but had no other complaints. They sat on the kitchen, with Naruto watching the lamp's dim light fall on her face, making her pale eyes seem even more faded away, while he wondered why he had found them to be so scary earlier. "They seem familiar, don't they, boy?" My eyes, I mean."

They sort of did, to the blonde's head, but he could not quite place it. So, he just stared at her with curiosity, waiting her to see where what she was trying to say was leading. "Don't trouble your mind, boy. My eyes mark most people they regard with various ways, and so do the eyes of all Hyuuga. The Hyuuga are a clan, in case you don't know, who are too proud for their own good. And now, with those arrogant fools being the last noble clan in all of the Fire Country, with all the Uchiha dead but two, it just fits they see everyone around them as inferior."

She sighed, almost sadly and looked away from Naruto's cerulean eyes, seemingly lost in thoughts. "Our eyes," she said then, returning her gaze on Naruto, "are part of a Bloodline Limit; a genetic mutation, so to speak, which allows people bearing them to have unique powers and manipulate those via the use of _chakra._" She stood with a self-satisfied smirk on her lips. "But now it's late, I'm afraid. Or early, depending on which part of the day you like more. Either way, time for you to go to bed. Now. You have to remember that all this is a very well kept secret, alright? Not just our discussion, but everything. That you are going to wake up in the middle of the night and are taught to kill people, all this stuff."

"I will remember," Naruto said grinning widely. As Kasumi walked with him towards Naruto's bedroom, he added, feeling that it was going to be important to her: "You have my word, Kasumi-san."

Kasumi chuckled before nodding along. She waited for Naruto to dress in his sleeping attire and she stood by him as he climbed under his sheets in order to tuck him in as no one else had in his entire life time. "Good night, boy." She wished, pecking him on his forehead. Naruto was asleep before she even turned around and walked away.

* * *

_**Author's Notes: **This is an introductory chapter to the remastered version of "Ninja Legacy", a fiction which the people continually reading my stories should probably remember. I had ditched the earlier version, since I barely knew how to write at the time. Plus, I had made Naruto into what people in the fanfiction call a Mary Sue. Or was it Jane Sue? Does not matter. This story is not about delusional kids fooling themselves into thinking they are shinobi, nor about romance; it is about reality, if I may say so. They are ninja, silent assassins who have super powers, for crying out loud. And, despite the fact that I still liked that about the series, I want to try something else, something different, something realistic and believable. _

_But the above are just my written__ thoughts__. They are supposed to be taken with a smile and a "Heh, his opinion ain't wrong, if you think about it," or something similar. For action readers, yes, it will have that in, as well as the correct amount of romance and an interesting story. Which reminds me, I will not change the teams in this version of the story, nor will I make the characters overly powerful. Sure, Naruto is going to be more powerful than a normal genin, but not as powerful as he used to be. Or maybe he will? Right now, I'll be honest with you; I don't exactly know how powerful I will have him be. I do not want to write a story with Naruto dominating the chuunin exams, and I will not, for your information. _

_That's all, kind people. Give me some feedback, then. Liked it, hated it? You know the drill. Just remember, this is only a prologue, and is meant to be read as such. Well then, until next chapter._


	2. Council

_Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. The one that does is someone no longer worth mentioning anymore, in my humble opinion; and, if he thinks otherwise, he'd better find me himself to tell me so._

* * *

_He wakes up every single day in a constant haze consisting of memories. Both happy and sad ones, both heart-aching memories and both tormenting ones that make him scream and cry in pain and sorrow. All he wishes at such times is that he would wake up one day and all that he would find was going to be sweet oblivion and mind numbness as his heartbeat slowly faded way but, alas, every single time he practically forces that wish upon him it is thwarted away by the one "person" that has been with him as long as he could remember. He bears no grudges though. He knows that, should that person get to choose, his wishes of death would be fulfilled, and his tiredness and pain would vanish in an instant. _

_So, whether he writes or lies down to think or sleeps, he finds his mind drifting away, towards his memories. He smiles as he thinks of his days back in his village. He frowns as he thinks of the persons he regarded as comrades. He hugs his feet close to his chest and curls in a ball as he thinks of her. Every single time he does so he jumps to his feet and heads towards the half-empty bottle of rice wine, allowing the nothingness to take him away. He hates these times. _

_After all, who likes forcing his mind to shut down while listening to the constant laughter of a millennia old demon?_

* * *

The exotic, round hat that he used to wear was discarded away, and his delicate white hair was free for all to see. He liked tossing the hat away. In an ironic way, it was like saying "Store's closed" to himself. But Sarutobi knew that such a thing was only in his mind. War did not care for what people did while it assaulted their lives and sundered their dreams. It only cared for mayhem and death; and if there was one thing Sarutobi was obliged to do, it was preventing such things from happening to his beloved village.

Of course, Sarutobi mused to himself, even an idiot could observe that thinking of the Hokage Tower as a store which could close at any time and the Fire Shade position as a part time job was delusional – if not a sign that Sarutobi, the owner of these thoughts, was going either senile in his old age or mad.

The moonlight was falling around him, illuminating the room through the expensive glass that was bringing together the window. Sarutobi himself had allowed himself a moment of clarity and was puffing on his pipe, for once his paperwork on the side of his office instead of its center waiting for his signature.

A moment of clarity is a certain unmistakable moment when, try as a person might to overlook it, becomes clear that things are careening perilously out of control. And that moment of clarity came to him. It did so with a certain person barging through the door and standing directly opposite of him, a blazing glare in his sole dark eye and a pull on his lips much similar to the snarl of a dog. However, when he spoke, the man's voice was almost pleasant, the cold fury it possessed well hidden behind layers of politeness. "Greetings, Sarutobi-san. I trust you are well?"

Sarutobi knew right then that he would not sleep that night. The moon was full, it was already late, and the man standing in front of him had that special ability to cause him nightmares. Danzo was the man's name, and he was the warmonger of the worst kind. There did not have to be war with foreign villages for the kind of warmonger that Danzo was; not when he could bring war to his own home, to his own people. Danzo possessed a tall figure, a slim body, though affected by age, proving that he was not as flawless as his followers seemed to think, and raven dark hair, an impressive feat considering he had the same age and had suffered the same hardships as Sarutobi himself.

It was a well known fact that Danzo was also as powerful as Sarutobi himself, if not even more. He was surely ruthless and uncaring, a useful feat in their society of stealth and assassination. The Third was not proud enough to admit that, had Danzo not lost his arm when his predecessors needed a new Hokage, it would be the warmonger sitting on his chair and him greeting him and pretending that he was there for casual chit chat.

Times like this, when the light was dim and the people seemed to be more honest to their selves, unnerved Sarutobi with the cynicism they seemed to wake in him. Danzo would have been a good-looking man were it not for the bandages covering the dead hole that used to be his right eye and the various scars that he had on his body. Surely, many _shinobi _had scars, even Sarutobi himself did, but Danzo's were the result of an acid infused technique that did not allow them to close and heal properly. The Third knew from the medics that examined him that Danzo needed to visit them every third day of the week, or one day the man would wake up and find himself bleeding to death.

Danzo was everything Sarutobi was not; favoring aggression and war over passiveness and peace. When he failed to gain the position of the Hokage, Danzo created the (now disbanded) ANBU training department known as Root and acted as its head. A warmonger, but still, a charismatic one, Danzo was also the one that suggested to the Konoha council to train Naruto for something… else, grittier and darker compared to the average shinobi. There were prodigies out there, the tall man had stated, prodigies that need to become proud _genin_ that do not need to worry about a demon while doing their missions. Sarutobi had countered, breaking the fuming state he had imposed on himself for the first time since the meeting had began. Once again, he had reassured the Council that Naruto was the vessel, not the demon. They would not listen, however. How would they? Koharu Utatane, the Third's former teammate and now head of the council, had lost both her sons when the demon attacked. And she was the one with the least losses. Homura, his once closest buddy, was now alone in the world because of one single person. Sure, deep down inside, they shared beliefs with Sarutobi; but on the outside, on the conscious part of their brain, they were persons that had lost their precious ones because of a demon that was still alive and laughing at their faces with every single prank he pulled.

They disposed of his speech as soon as he had finished. All nine of them had turned to Danzo, practically begging him to continue speaking and shrug off the Hokage's words.

And Danzo had done just that. He had continued by stating that the demon should be exploited. He should be going out on solo missions, assassinating many and getting questioned by few chosen ones. The demon in the boy's form should be exploited, Danzo had said, before turning to glare at Sarutobi, in order to amend for his sins and the deaths it had caused. Danzo, of course, did not need mention that he hoped the ugliest death to occur to the boy while on one of the afore-mentioned missions. In the end, all that Sarutobi could do was nod along and choose a teacher for the boy. They had hoped that he would choose some idiot like Ebisu or a psychopath like Anko, so that they could kill two birds with one stone; what Sarutobi had done besides making the whole council fume was call for Hyuuga Kasumi to be revoked from her status as _Younin_ and to teach the boy.

Sarutobi was willing to bet paying in cash all the debts Tsunade had; such was his certainty that Danzo was angrier than he had ever been on his life. Readying his answer to his rival's question, the Hokage understood with a grim smile why Naruto seemed so satisfied while giving the finger to the persons that chased him around the village because of his various pranks.

"I think we should skip the pleasantries, Danzo-san. It doesn't suit people like us."

Danzo clenched his fist tight enough for the leather glove he wore to screech. "You're right, Monkey, it doesn't. So, I'll even toss the titles aside and talk to you, man to man; what in the fuck is wrong with you? You called _that _Hyuuga back of all people, and even withdrew her status as _Younin_ just to train a dem-" Danzo was fast to change his wording, "-boy, and even brought that lazy excuse for a ninja with you as a witness to the boy's embrace? Are you out of your mind?"

The migraine was lurking at him; Sarutobi was sure of that. Soon, he would call Aimi, that beautiful blonde that gave him amazing backrubs and have her to her tricks on him. But Aimi would have to wait for a bit.

"Ah, so you want to play that way? Even for a man with one eye, Danzo, your vision's extremely narrow."

Danzo made a sound that was extremely alike to choking and spitting at the same time. "Maybe it is. But the people don't think it's safe for them to have the demon walk among them after all these years. Soon, they will revolt, and then-"

This time, Sarutobi did not let him finish. "They will do _nothing_. Were they to do something to or _for _Naruto, the people of Konoha would have done so a long time ago. They showed trust to the Fourth, Danzo, and so should you. The seal will not break."

Danzo frowned, and the bandages covering his right eye shifted to his will. "Maybe, but they do not know the truth, Monkey. We do. He is dangerous."

"No." Soft, yet stern as a steel sword; such was the charisma of the Third that made even hardened killers like Danzo stand on attention. "Jumping above waterfalls is dangerous, Danzo, yet we two did it all the time when young, unaware of loss and unaffected by death. Naruto is misunderstood. Why can't we allow him to have a normal life?"

"Because should he have a normal life," Danzo shouted, repeating what the Third had just said, "the people of Konoha will be as restless as you and I are every single night! Isn't being unfair to one person better than being unfair to hundreds?"

Sarutobi blew the pipe's smoke off his lungs. "Not when being unfair to one is just the beginning of a chain of events that will make the equation change, Danzo."

"Either give me reason or shut your mouth, Monkey! Why did you call Kasumi back?" Before the warmonger could finish his words, Sarutobi was suddenly standing, and for a brief moment Danzo thought that the Hokage was about to attack him.

"You claim that you want to give the people of Konoha a chance, Danzo!" Yelled the Third, the volume of his voice fueled by anger. "If that's the case, I want to give _Naruto_ a chance as well!"

The ex-Root commander had a response to that. "She was still an asset to Konoha, you fool! Without her…"

"Without her what?" The Hokage stopped the man he once called friend by yelling louder. "We won't know what the Sand is doing? Big deal. As if we weren't aware of the Fourth Kazekage scheming against us. As if we weren't aware of his son being the vessel of the sand demon _Shukaku_, as if we weren't aware of their negotiations with the Sound! Kazumi was spending all the talents you don't believe she really has, yet are afraid of, in spying for things that we already knew years ago, back when the council deleted her every record and sent her away!"

The _Younin. _More secretive than ANBU, and almost as deadly as their one and only superior inside their village; the Kage. Even in their own village, every record they have is deleted; the only proof of existing they have is the Kage's word. They are known to only a need-to-know basis, and answer to only one person, as declared so above their gaining the status of _Younin. _To be one means being considered missing in action or dead or worse, traitor. A sad place to be, yet an essential one; such was the rank of Hyuuga Kasumi, who, at the same time that Danzo and Sarutobi were arguing, was pecking Naruto as her own way of saying 'goodnight'.

There was silence in the room. The only sound was the two men's breathing as their anger slowly resided. "You are an insane bastard, Monkey." Taunted Danzo for one last time. "We'll discuss of this again."

"No, Danzo." Whispered Sarutobi as the man opposite of him turned his back and walked away from him and out of the room before slamming the door behind him, "we won't discuss of this never again. For once, I'm doing things my way, you damned fool, and it's going to stay that way." He collapsed on his chair and zoned out. When he came to his senses, Sarutobi realized with a smile that it was daytime, and that on his desk laid a beech leaf; Kasumi's way of saying 'mission accomplished'.

The proud-filled smile on Sarutobi's lips did not leave him for the rest of the day.

* * *

"I see you're awake, boy. Did you sleep well?"

Naruto yawned loudly in response to the question before shaking his shoulders vividly, sending the numbness from the prolonged sleep that he was into mere minutes ago away. Banishing the last remnants of his drowsiness, the blonde boy grinned at his self-proclaimed teacher, who had appeared at the middle of his simple living room, a casual smile on her lips and a bag of yet more complex items and _shinobi _tools. "Fine, fine, thanks. And how are you, Kasumi-sensei?"

"Cozy enough to play the game of formalities. Enjoy your dinner while you still can and join me on the carpet, will you?" The pale Hyuuga winked, a gesture hiding powerful motives between secrecy and playfulness. Then, getting rid of the annoying leather bag, full of scrolls and bottles of ink and booklets, she practically allowed herself to fall on the old carpet Naruto had chosen to cover the half-rotten planks of his floor with. It was dirty, had the smell of something mating on it and could probably use a good washing first, but, unfortunately, it had an unbelievable feeling of fulfillment it gave off as a reason for Kasumi not to set the damn thing on fire. As for Naruto's reason for liking it, it was orange, and cheap. As in, really cheap, and with the way the boy needed all the money she and the Hokage could equip him with, it was a really good deal. The carpet easily filled three fourths of the living room.

She sighed as her slim figure rested on the thick cloth and lied down, the only thing disturbing the silence being Naruto's slurping on his 'breakfast', a cup of instant ramen. Hidden from his view, she smiled on how the boy would wish that he was allowed to eat two or three more cups when she showed him what they were going to do tonight.

The lessons were going well, and the first two weeks had gone so fast neither of the two had realized it. Before they knew it, both Naruto and Kasumi had found someone in each other to respect and care for. They were both hard workers, and Kasumi was swift in admitting that she what she requested from Naruto in her lessons she practically requested from herself as well. The Hyuuga asked of him reasonable things, and so far she was excited to judge Naruto's facials expressions with the aid of her Byakugan and literally see that he was falling in track fast. He was a hard worker, did not really complain –then again, she knew that requesting too much of him would make the blonde boy snap- and mastered every thing she had taught him with ease.

She smiled secretly in the shades of the boy's apartment as she remembered how quick he got the chakra control exercises. He could mold as much chakra as she already, and she had congratulated him about it with a fervor she did not remember having. She had frowned and decided to have the Hokage have a conversation with the academy teachers, though; the boy had got the way to mold chakra all wrong.

The slim female crossed her legs and shifted on the carpet, adjusting herself to the most comfortable position. Hearing him walk towards her, she opened an ivory eye and allowed her gaze to drop on him. "Yes?" She asked, finding the look on his face to be impassive.

"What am I going to be taught today?"

Ah, yes, that question again. To Kasumi, it seemed that Naruto was still afraid of having to kill people. So far, she had fixed the mistaken exercises this "Iruka" person had taught Naruto. If she had her way, this Iruka would be searching for a new job at the best scenario, but unfortunately, she wasn't going to be. So, focusing on the present and to the now worried Naruto sitting on the carpet opposite of her, Kasumi got rid of the worries the boy was feeling by saying the right things. "Nothing you will not enjoy learning, boy." At least she was honest; today she had planned on having him learn a better variant of the basic fighting style they taught them at the academy.

Naruto pouted as only a seven year old can. "You said that for the _chakra _control exercises as well, Kasumi-sensei. My back is still sore, you know."

"It obviously is." Kasumi told the blonde as soon as she had a good laughter at the boy's earlier week's demise. "After all, you knew a bit about molding chakra, didn't you? I couldn't bother re-teaching all from the start now, could I? Thus," she explained, a soft smile still on her lips, "the wall climbing exercise."

Naruto grumbled something about know-it-all women who manipulated him under his breath, before turning his attention back to the tall woman. "Hey, hey! You still didn't answer my question, Kasumi-sensei!" Add a bit of whine on his voice, nothing much, just the right amount, go for the furrowed eyebrows and sad look and there you have it, the perfect asking for tricks pose. "What are you going to teach me this beautiful night?"

Kasumi sighed. No stopping Naruto when it came to learning cool stuff like walking on vertical surfaces and other _shinobi _techniques, it seemed. "Martial arts." Was all she said as she reached for her tool pouch. "Oh, and boy? I lied. You won't enjoy learning martial arts. Just using them."

The look of terror in Naruto's eyes as she pulled two leather gloves, donned them on and raised to her feet in order to actually assault him was priceless to the _jounin._

* * *

_Author's Notes: So, that's it for now. I was really desperate to present you double the size, double the quality, but unfortunately –like all of us- out there, I had stuff to do, work, etc. I don't need to remind you fellows out there now, do I? Nah, I guess I don't. What I am proud of is how I unleashed the beast that is Danzo in this chapter, revealing who is pulling the strings here. _

_Many of the readers are –probably- trying to figure out where this is going by now. I can't tell you much; of this I'll be honest. I will try to write more though, just for the sake of writing itself. I don't think I have anything else to commend on, but this: Ways of an Assassin is basically an answer to the question "What if Naruto was trained in the Hyuuga arts? What would the consequences be?" It's not just that, don't get that look on your face now. But it's mainly about answering that._

_Again, thanks for reading and (for some of you) reviewing. Sorry for the -really short- chapter.  
_


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Naruto, Adventure, Drama